Boro season ticket holders can expect a long wait before receiving their books for the new campaign.

Overworked staff in the ticket office this week began dealing with the 20,000-plus renewal applications which arrived by the sackload at the last minute.

Only a small percentage of fans traditionally renew their tickets in advance of the deadline, and this year was no different.

The hard work of sorting through the applications is held up by the fact that many fans want to switch seats in order to be closer to friends and family.

In addition, a few supporters have demanded a full refund following revelations that eight Riverside games will be broadcast live on Sky before Christmas.

Hence the call this week for patience from those fans who have made requests.

Ticket office manager Jane Woods said: "The staff are working their way through a backlog of applications, which will naturally take some time to complete.

"Once the straight renewals have been processed, the staff will begin working on a 35,000-piece jigsaw that involves our best efforts to try to satisfy those supporters who would like to relocate to a different seat.

"New applications will be processed once we know what seats are available.

"We thank the fans for their patience and can assure those supporters who have asked to relocate that we will contact them should their be any problems with their request."

Until the staff have come close to processing most of the applications, it will not be possible to complete a count.

Chairman Steve Gibson is keen to achieve an increase in the club's 26,500 season ticket holders, but only time will tell.